


Moments in Sinnoh

by PKAquaFlame



Category: Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 11:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11599530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PKAquaFlame/pseuds/PKAquaFlame
Summary: Title subject to change. An imagining of Pokemon Platinum. As Lucas collects the badges and gathers his team, what will he discover about Team Galactic....and about himself?





	1. Lucas

**Author's Note:**

> So. I've spent a few years rping Lucas, so I got a lot of headcanons and whatnot for him. So, I figured why not write some moments that took place in his journey with all these headcanons in mind?

Twinleaf Town was always a very quiet and peaceful place. Days passed slowly, one right after the other. The routine here was almost like clockwork; wake up, get breakfast, do whatever you do during the day, come back home from dinner, go to bed, and then the whole process is repeated the next day.

On most days, Lucas was fine with that. Sometimes, however....sometimes he'd have a strong urge to just _leave._ He had no idea how he would go about it, but there were times where he just got anxious at the very thought of staying any longer.

It always baffled him; life in Twinleaf was good. He had the best friends he could ask for in Dawn and Barry. And his family life, while somewhat lonely since his mother's passing, was a pleasant and supportive one for the most part. His dad always had his back; even supported him through his years of Trainer's School. Twinleaf was a little lacking in energy, but Lucas wouldn't have had it any other way most days. ~~~~

Maybe it was what he liked to call 'Small Hometown Syndrome.' You could count the number of people living in Twinleaf with, what....two hands? Three? He wasn't sure, but he knew it was small compared to, say, Jubilife or Hearthome. He's never been to Hearthome, but going to the school in Jubilife made him very familiar with the hustle and bustle there.

Yeah, that sounded right. Compared to Jubilife, Twinleaf was very quiet. If it wasn't for Lake Verity, Lucas would definitely have called it _boring._

* * *

 

Lake Verity is a sort of tourist attraction for the rest of Sinnoh, and ~~(arguably)~~ the only thing putting Twinleaf on any sort of map. Twinleaf needed all the publicity it could get sometimes, and Lake Verity always delivered. Year-round, people would flock to the lake. Most of them enjoyed the view the lake provided, others came to research the local Pokemon. A good handful would come to try and find the legend lurking within the lake's depths. Very few (if any) can claim that they saw the sprite, but that doesn't stop people from trying. They would camp out in the lake for days on end, hoping for even a glimpse of something extraordinary.

Twinleaf residents always provided food and shelter for when the weather got too cold. Seeing as this was _southwestern Sinnoh_ , that happened more often than one would think, especially in the wintertime. ~~To give you an idea on what the weather's like in that area of Sinnoh; a summer there is a lot like autumn in Unova or Kalos; never too hot, but pleasantly cool.~~  

Lucas was a frequent visitor of the lake as well. To the point where people would bet money that he would be there if nobody could find him in Twinleaf or in school. If he was ever asked why he goes to visit the lake so many times, he would say he was playing with a friend. 

* * *

 

Lucas liked talking with visitors well enough, unless they were from some sort of Arceist group praying to the legend in the lake. He always held a sort of wariness for people claiming to worship Arceus; mostly because of his grandmother trying to drag him into church every time she visited. He **_hated_** those visits.

Something should be established here; Lucas was always a very sensitive child. Some could argue that he got this way when his mother died, but even before then he always had some sort of knack for telling how people felt. That's why he was so bothered by his visits to the church; everyone in the church he was dragged to always seemed so _fake._ Their smiles never reached their faces. Even as a little kid, it bothered him. In fact, one time he got so distressed that he started screaming in the middle of mass. He only stopped to take a breather before resuming his screaming. 

He didn't really stop until he was escorted out. This was the start of a sort of feud between him and his grandmother; every time he got wind of her visiting, he would hide out in Barry and Dawn's house until she left. If he didn't, there would be arguments. Lucas would get upset that she didn't believe him about anything (not about his friend in the lake or about the colors he sometimes saw), and she would just insist that he lied about the whole thing.

* * *

 

All in all, Lucas had a (relatively) peaceful life in Twinleaf. All weird dreams and hunches aside, he was just a regular sixteen year old boy who wanted to go on his journey more than anything. So what if he had dreams about a time dragon that was revered in legends? So what if he had dreams about going through the Sinnoh challenge and becoming a sort of hero? In the end, those were nothing more than dreams ~~(even if they were frightfully realistic)~~.

It was when he heard about a documentary about Professor Rowan that Lucas would finally have his chance.


	2. Getting Started

Route 201 was quiet. As the path connecting Twinleaf to Lake Verity and Sandgem Town, it served as a sort of gateway for the little town. The Pokemon weren't very strong (just Bidoofs and Starlys), but you would still need one of your own in order to reach Sandgem. The path to Lake Verity was clear of grass, so there was no issue there. 

However, Barry didn't _want_ to go to Lake Verity. Granted, neither did Dawn or Lucas. But if they had gone back to get one of their parent's Pokemon, they probably wouldn't be in the situation they were in right now. 

The situation was very simple, really; in order to get from Twinleaf to Sandgem, one would need to walk through the tall grass in between the two towns. Of course, the three of them didn't have any Pokemon of their own. They hadn't even thought to bring any of their parent's Pokemon. 

Barry wasn't scared. "We'll just run reeeeally fast, so the Pokemon won't get to us! 

Right when Barry was about to run into the grass, there was a harsh command; _"Hold it!"_

Each one of them felt their hearts drop into their stomachs when the source of the command turned out to be _the very person_ they had just watched a documentary about.

* * *

Professor Rowan had seen many things in his decades of research. So many years researching Pokemon came with discoveries made about evolution and about the world. Through these discoveries alone, the world seemed so much _different_ than it had when he started the trade. Being a Professor for as long as he was, he would imagine that it would take a lot to truly surprise him or catch him off-guard.

Even so, the discovery of three children about to run into the tall grass was certainly a new one. Not only that....did they have Pokemon with them? It didn't seem so.

"What to do...." he muttered. If the children heard him, he didn't quite care. If they did, they would at least be a little aware of what may happen as a result. "Their world would change if I gave them Pokemon. Is it right for me to set them on that path...?"

Was it? He knew the stories of the other regions; children that had been trusted with Pokemon one day, and a short time later had risked their lives to bring down criminal organizations. While there was no way for Rowan to know that the same thing would happen to these children, there was also no reason to assume that there wouldn't be an organization like that in Sinnoh. He had only _just_ returned after researching abroad in Kanto; he'd be the _last_ person to know about such a thing. 

But then....they didn't seem that young. They seemed to be their teens at the very least; most likely graduates from the school in Jubilife. At the very least, they might be able to work under pressure and know when to bail should things become dangerous.

All the same, he couldn't just _ignore_ the fact that they were about to run into the tall grass. If he had come a moment later...

"You three. Do you truly love Pokemon?"

The three children nodded, with the blond shouting, "Of course we do!"

"I will ask one more time, for good measure," Rowan repeated, "Do you love Pokemon?"

"You can ask us a thousand times 'for good measure' and we'll say the same thing a thousand times!" the blond responded. "We love Pokemon! Right guys?"

The other two nodded. 

"A group of children who'd run into the tall grass for Pokemon...it worries me what they'd do with Pokemon of their own."

* * *

 Barry was the one who insisted they all watch the documentary about Professor Rowan. Barry was the one who absolutely had to see Professor Rowan right now and get Pokemon from him. Barry was the one who promised a million dollar fine on them if they did not catch up with him.

Of course Dawn and Lucas protested. They didn't have Pokemon yet, they shouldn't go into the tall grass without them. Heck, Lucas offered to get his dad's Kricketune so that they could (at the very least) be safe. 

And now look where they ended up. Not only were they caught by the man they had set out to see, but there was a very real chance they may never get to achieve their goal.

The whole thing was Barry's idea. Which was to say, the whole thing was Barry's fault. He knew that, and he felt horrible at the turn of events. 

"Listen," he spoke up. "Forget about me, but at least give Pokemon to my friends here! It was my idea to run into the grass anyways!" 

Almost instantly, Lucas piped up, "Um! I mean, I want a Pokemon just as much as the next guy, but if it means my friend won't get one..." 

Dawn didn't say anything, but she nodded. It was very clear that she agreed with them on this matter; give Pokemon to all of them, or none at all.

Rowan seemed surprised. A few moments ago he contemplated not giving them Pokemon for their foolhardy actions....but just then, they didn't hesitate to stick up for each other. They must be very good friends if they were willing to do that. 

"Very well, I've decided. I will give you Pokemon of your very own," he announced. "I apologize for putting you through that exercise."

It was like someone had drained area of any noise, it had gotten so quiet. 

"However," he continued, "You must promise not to recklessly endanger your lives again."

"WE PROMISE!" 

Rowan had to suppress a chuckle; the three of them had said that in harmony. They were nothing if not enthusiastic, he'd give them that much.

* * *

It was decided that they would choose in descending age order. Since Lucas was the oldest out of the three, that meant he got to pick first. 

He gave each PokeBall a good look as he pondered his choices. Between Piplup, Turtwig and Chimchar....hmm. At least he knew which one he hadn't planned on getting. Piplup was a prideful Pokemon; he'd be lying if he said that didn't intimidate him a little. What if Piplup deemed him 'not good enough' and refused to listen to him?

Chimchar was energetic and spunky; as was befitting a Fire-type. While he was tempted to pick that one, he knew that Barry might want it more than he did. Besides, Chimchar and Barry might work well together. 

That left Turtwig. Honestly, Lucas would be happy with that choice. Turtwig was a solid Pokemon (or so he heard), and he always sort of liked Ground-types like its final evolution. Why not?

Of course, Barry picked Chimchar once he saw Lucas pick up Turtwig's PokeBall. A fire-type to match Lucas' grass-type! He had always said that he wanted to be Lucas' rival, and now he finally got a chance to do it! It helped that he got a type advantage over Lucas' Turwig. 

That left Dawn with Piplup, although she did not seem to mind this at all. She grabbed the little one's PokeBall almost as eagerly as Barry had grabbed Chimchar's. 

"Now remember," Rowan had said. "These Pokemon are very young, and unfamiliar with the world around them. In that respect, they are very much like you three. I hope you do well together."

And then he left. And no sooner did Rowan go out of earshot than Barry started celebrating with Chimchar on his shoulder. 

* * *

Turtwig was a grass-type. It evolves into Grotle and then Torterra as it levels up. Torterra is a _huge_ Pokemon; there were so many myths and stories about islands being carried on the back of a Torterra. 

He got the idea that it meant the line would eat a lot, but Turtwig cleared out that whole supply of vegetables within _minutes!_

"That's quite the glutton you have there," his father joked. "We just got another reason to thank the Professor; we never would have touched that kale otherwise."

"Kale? That's all he ate?" Lucas questioned. "How much of that did we _have?_ "

Wait a minute. Kale....that had a nice ring to it. He had been thinking about giving his Pokemon nicknames, and Kale was just about as good a name as any for a Grass-type. Why not call Turtwig Kale and see what happens?

* * *

 Lucas wanted to visit Lake Verity before going to Sandgem. It seemed only appropriate; he had one to the lake since he was a small child. Not saying goodbye to the lake (at least for a little bit) seemed like a crime, all things considered.

He wasn't expecting too much; a short goodbye before he was on his way. So, when he found someone else standing by the edge of the lake, he was more than a little thrown off. 

The man didn't seem to be doing much of anything; just staring out into the horizon. He was faced away, so Lucas couldn't see his expression. Lucas wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to know. 

....Oh no, he turned around. And he was walking towards the exit. Which is where Lucas was standing.

And Lucas didn't know why...but as the man passed, he felt this bitter sting. It was hard to place a word to it. Anger? Sadness? Familiarity? That didn't make sense at all; why should he feel any of that towards someone he knew he hadn't met before?

It crossed his mind that maybe his dreams had something to do with it, but he dismissed the thought. That was just ridiculous; dreams couldn't count for anything. This wasn't some magical boy anime where dreams pointed the way.

 _It's probably nothing,_ Lucas figured. _I should head to Sandgem Town and thank Professor Rowan. Dawn and Barry are probably waiting for me._

So he exited the lake, never realizing that the legendary residing in it had been watching the whole time.

* * *

  **Team Summary:**

Kale (Turtwig). Male. Bold natured, impetuous and silly.


	3. Jubilife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jubilife City! Enough said, I think.

The weird feeling came up again in Professor Rowan's lab. Not anger so much as confusion, though. It wasn't even like anything was wrong (what would be wrong about a situation like this?), but it just seemed more like something was..... _off._ Yes, that sounded about right. 

As he accepted the PokeDex and half-listened to the Professor's speech, he had to wonder why. 

He almost hoped that he would find out as the journey unfolded.

* * *

 

After obtaining the PokeDex from the Professor, Lucas knew he had to at least _try_ to capture a Pokemon of his own. He gave it a shot in Lake Verity, and managed to come out with a Starly (dubbed Highwind).....and only _one_  PokeBall left out of the five he was given.

Catching Pokemon seemed easy in theory, but the reality was a _lot_ tougher than he thought it would be.

Despite this, he thought it might be good to review the process with his friends. After all, they were doing the Gym Challenge separately; if they met up and one of them didn't have any new Pokemon, that wouldn't be good. Barry was (of course) farther ahead, so he could only contact Dawn about this. 

The problem was....Route 202 didn't have a lot of Pokemon other than what he already saw in Lake Verity. Starlys and Bidoofs _everywhere._ He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to try catching another Starly (especially with how tough catching Highwind was), and he did _**not**_ want to catch a Bidoof. Maybe he could try to go for a Shinx....he heard those were good to start with.

Slow, cautious steps were taken into the grass; he’d never know when something could just jump out at him…

…or if something could just lightly nudge _and paw at his pants leg_ once he stopped to look around. He glanced down curiously, only to be met with a rather small ball of blue fluff. Odd…while he had been going for a Shinx, he wasn't aware that they could be this small. Was it a baby?

Slowly, he crouched to get a better look. Sure enough, it _was_ a Shinx. The spiked yellow fur at the end of its tail was enough confirmation of that. And it didn't even seem to be attacking him; not so much as a bite or a scratch. More than anything, it just seemed desperate for warmth.

 _Oh._ Well. This was a predicament. There was only one explanation for this, and knowing that possibility....how could he bring himself to actually battle it? This was a Shinx, but it seemed....smaller than some of the Shinx he had seen here. Much, _much_ smaller, actually.

The poor thing probably got separated from its mother or something. What to do...

Well....there was a Pokemon Center in Jubilife City. Maybe Nurse Joy would know what to do with this little one. But first, wouldn't he have to catch her? He knew that PokeBalls kept Pokemon in a sort of stasis, so that may be the best option.

* * *

Whenever one has a question concerning the care and keeping of Pokemon, the Pokemon Center is where they go. These buildings are stationed in every major city in Sinnoh, and these are the buildings that provide not only free healthcare for a trainer's Pokemon, but it also acts as a sort of 'bed and breakfast' for trainers. Taking care of Pokemon was all very well and good, but what would happen if the Trainers wren't provided with at least the essentials as well?

The point is, Lucas went straight for the Pokemon Center once he reached Jubilife. He didn't stop for anything (not even for that one stranger he nearly crashed into in his rush to get to the Center. He was...rather unusually dressed, but Lucas had bigger things to worry about than an eccentric foreigner). 

Thankfully the nurse was available right at that moment, so she was able to check up on Shinx. Only, when she reached over to take Shinx from Lucas, the little one instantly made distressed noises, as if she wanted to be back with Lucas _right now._

"Well....it looks like Shinx really warmed up to you," she noted, with some amusement. "She's very young. Did you say she clung to your leg?"

Lucas nodded, and Joy continued; "That tends to happen around here. Route 202 is full of young Pokemon like that Shinx. From a first glance, she doesn't seem to be any more than a month old, which is usually when they start going off on their own."

"Only a month? They grow that fast?"

"That's right. They are Electric-types, after all. Although, I should point out that this Shinx seems to be unusually small for her age. You may need to take care of her for a little while."

_"Me?"_

"Well, you caught her, didn't you?"

Lucas was dumbstruck at this comment (he really should've seen this coming) as Joy continued, "Besides, Shinx seems to have gotten rather attached to you already. Even if you had just carried her from Route 202 to here I'd have recommended the same thing."

"Well....alright. What do you suggest?"

* * *

 Feeding a small Pokemon from a bottle wasn't _quite_ how he was expecting to start his journey off, but Shinx seemed to be enjoying it. He even had her bundled up in a blanket (almost like a baby), so that she would be warm. He wasn't sure if that was necessary (didn't Shinx have fur at this point?), but the Nurse Joy insisted it was better safe than sorry. Especially with her size...

Speaking of which, maybe he should think of a name for her too? He had already named Kale and Highwind, maybe he'd find something fitting for her. Even if not as a battler, she may still be in the party for quite a while, at least until it was determined that she could be raised to be a battler or if she was better suited to be a companion Pokemon. 

Thank Arceus for the Poketch, though! He had received a newer model as a graduation present, but he had _no idea_ that there was an app that gives you the details on your Pokemon's health! He really had to thank that nurse for telling him about that app; he might have completely missed it. He thought there was only the app that made it, well.....a watch. He knew that you could contact friends and family with it too (how _that_ worked, he had yet to find out), but the fact remained.

Lucas never really had much use for a watch, but he wore the Poketch because he'd have to be insane to turn it down. And now he's so glad he didn't; now he had an actual use for it! 

He was so lost in his musings that the rustle of bushes snapped his attention straightaway. He glanced over at the bush behind him and stood perfectly still....so he wouldn't be caught off guard. He could have sworn he heard...

The branches rustled, and Lucas could hear a very distinct _sneeze._

"...Hello?"

Right as Lucas said that, a large figure seemed to stumble out of that bush. Once the momentary chaos had subsided, Lucas could see that it was a rather large man wearing a trenchcoat of some kind. What the heck-? As if that wasn't enough, the man started going off into a tangent...in another language. It definitely didn't sound like Unovan, and it certainly wasn't Sinnohese...the man's words had a certain flow to them that wasn't present in either language. Was he Kalosian, maybe? ~~(It should be noted that Lucas caught the phrase 'le bebe' in his ramblings.)~~

"Uh....sir?" he called. "I, uh...can't really understand what you're saying."

That seemed to shut the man up. He took a moment before responding, "Ah, yes. Ah. My apologies! I am, ah...this language, it is most perplexing. Must remember to..." 

....Well, if there was any doubt in Lucas' mind that this man was a foreigner, it was dashed the moment he spoke up. He did seem to have a fair grasp of the language here, but it was still a little...broken. Like he had learned the basics well enough, but hadn't quite grasped the intricacies of the language.

"Uh...are you doing okay? You must've been hiding in that bush a long time-"

"How did you know?" the man demanded. "How could you unmask me as a member of the International Police?!"

"Uh....I never said any of that? I just asked if you were okay!"

The man crossed his arms. "Huh. Only making checking on myself, were you? But I know better not to believe that. Oh, no. You must have recognized right away I was someone out of the ordinary. That is why you addressed me, is it not? Young man, you have remarkable observation skills! Quite admirable!"

"Uh....thanks."

"You are most welcome! Now that my cover has been blown, permit me to introduce myself. I am a globe-trotting elite member of the International Police! My name...no, I shall only inform you of my codename instead...My code name, it is Looker. That is what they call me. Incidentally, does the slogan, 'Don't be a thief!' familiar to you?"

Lucas could only nod.

"Yes, good! Taking something that belongs to others is wrong!" Looker said that like he was stating it for a children's show or something. Lucas doubted that was the intent, but the comparison was made and it would not go away.

"Unfortunately, there are those that choose not to heed those words of advice! In Sinnoh, even, there are those who would steal other's Pokemon! I have, therefore, been on the lookout for suspicion-arousing characters."

And suddenly Lucas was _very_ grateful to have met this eccentric guy. Hearing about Pokemon thieves was a huge concern, and it would make him more careful. He needed a warning like this, especially when he already had three Pokemon.

"You are a Trainer, yes? So perhaps you will make use of this!" Looker said, shoving a blue-and-white device into Lucas' hands.

"I obtained that because it is quite the rage these days. But I, myself, do not partake in the Pokemon battling very often. It will be in better hands with you. And I have a request: if you ever see me again, kindly refrain from speaking with me, for I am on duty."

He stopped to think, and then continued, "On second thought...you _must_  speak with me! Not because I am lonely, no! You must inform me of bad guys! You must inform me of any happenings!"

And with that Looker ran off. Lucas could only stare, before glancing down at the little Shinx in his arms. She seemed perfectly content to watch what was going on, and if Lucas didn't know any better...

"Hmm...didn't he say the word 'Bay-Bay' in his ramblings....?" That sounded a little like 'baby,' didn't it? And strictly speaking, that's exactly what Shinx was at this point; a baby. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to call Shinx that? It wasn't like he could think of any name that would fit her at the moment. 

"Gotta learn how to properly spell that, first...it can't seriously be Bay-Bay, right?"

If it was, he might have to reconsider the nickname.

~~(He would find later that this wasn't the case, much to his relief.)~~

* * *

**Team Summary**

Kale (Turtwig). Male. Bold natured, impetuous and silly.

Highwind (Starly). Male. Hasty natured, likes to thrash about.

Bebe (Shinx). Female. Jolly natured, likes to run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Context on Shinx's nickname; I know very minimal French (which I guess translates into Kalosian to the Pokemon World), but I Googled it and found that 'baby' translates to 'bebe' or something like that? I was stuck on how Lucas should decide on the nickname for Shinx for a long time until this moment so I just rolled with it. ^^;


	4. First Badge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas breezes through Oreburgh's Gym and finds a fourth team member. Also, a little worldbuilding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little more worldbuilding than actual shenanigans with Lucas, and for that I'm a little sorry. I just really like worldbuilding. There probably will be a few more instances like that.

Over the next few days, Bebe had proven herself to be quite a little ball of energy. A fast ball of energy, at that; she started running around in circles the moment Lucas let her walk the first time. Was that how quickly Pokemon grew? He had read about it during his time in school, but actually seeing it happen right in front of him was a real treat.

She nearly chewed up the map that he was provided with. Only _nearly;_ if Lucas hadn't swiped it away in time, she might have torn it into shreds. Apparently, their parents had gotten together maps for the three of them. Dawn was the one to hand them out (seeing as she always had a knack of finding the two of them). Lucas did appreciate the gesture, but there was a small problem with this little gift.

Lucas was _horrible_ with reading maps. He just couldn't make heads or tails of them. It was a good thing that map-reading wasn't a mandatory class in school, it was _that_ bad.  He did learn to _at least_ try to help himself by writing small notes as to where certain things were, but even then...

Well...if Barry or Dawn lost their maps, Lucas could always hand this one over. Not to say he didn't appreciate the gesture, but what's the point of having a map if you can't even read one?

* * *

 When a child turns ten, they are given two options. They can either take off on their Pokemon journey right away, or sign up for Trainer's School and take off after you graduate at around sixteen years old. Lucas and his friends chose the latter (mostly because none of them had the heart to take off and risk leaving the others behind), and so they went to the Jubilife Trainer's School. 

The reason it takes so long to graduate is because there's so much to learn about being a Trainer; how to strategize, how to properly train certain types of Pokemon, egg groups...anything you can imagine about the care and keeping of Pokemon, it was probably covered within the curriculum. 

The most important one of these, however, is survival skills. The school was surprisingly lenient when it came to most core subjects; most of them required at least a grade of a C- to pass the class. Some required at least a B- to pass, and those classes were mostly about battling. Survival skills is the one and only class in which students had to have _at least an A- to pass_.

Sinnoh is a very difficult region to navigate; there were so many different kinds of terrain, and that's not even getting into Mt. Coronet. So, of course survival skills would be the most important lesson, because who knows what could happen if students didn't fully grasp how to survive?

Lucas never figured he'd be back in the building so soon after graduating, but he felt like he should at least try to check up on status conditions. And maybe give himself more tips on how to read that stupid map of his. Getting to Oreburgh...the road leading from Jubilife to that city was to the right of the city, right?

* * *

 Oreburgh's Gym was full of Rock-types. Rock-types that were pretty weak against Kale's Razor Leaf. So, Lucas wasn't particularly worried about the Gym. Highwind and Bebe stood no chance against them, so he had to focus on a combination of Curse and Razor Leaf in order to endure and hit hard against those Rock-types.

This being said, Roark's Cranidos very nearly gave Kale a run for his money. How was Lucas supposed to know that he would use Leer to try dropping Kale's defenses?? Then again, that's what being a Gym Leader was about, right? 

In the end, though, Kale barely made it through. Only barely; if he hadn't used Curse so many times between Geodude and Onix, he might have lost. But the fact of the matter was that they pulled through, in the end.

Once Lucas received his badge case (with the Coal Badge already nestled on the top left corner), Lucas couldn't help feeling a surge of pride. So...this is what it's like to win a Gym Badge. He could barely contain his excitement and he couldn't wait to train up and win some more.

Already he was planning how to take on the next Gym. That one specialized in Grass-types, didn't it? 

* * *

“Highwind, this is only a precaution. I heard that Gardenia’s Roserade is super strong, and I only have Kale and Bebe should something happen to you. A fire-type would really help, and I heard that Ponyta can be found here…”

Highwind sighed, nodding. Lucas could tell it was a reluctant agreement, though; he was always one to jump into a battle with gutso. Lucas not so much; Highwind can go in wings a-blazing all he wants, but his trainer would rather there be _some_ sort of backup. As it stood, he had very little that could stand up against grass-types. Kale was a solid defense, but Roserade happened to be a Poison type on top of being a Grass type. That gave her the advantage right there. And Bebe? She was getting a little stronger, but he's only had the heart to let her go after Zubats and Starlys, just so she can get her strength up.

In short; if something were to happen to Highwind before Gardenia sent out her Roserade, any chance of receiving the Forest Badge would go down with him. 

Which was why he was very much overjoyed when he noticed a Ponyta sniffing curiously at his bag. Did it want food…? Slowly, he took his berry case out and handed a few berries to the fire-type.

It was easy to befriend and capture the Ponyta, but getting him to stop bickering with Highwind was a whole other story. The two would have a lasting rivalry for the rest of the journey, but at least Lucas could honestly say that things never got boring.

* * *

  **Team Summary**

Kale (Turtwig). Male. Bold natured, impetuous and silly. 

Highwind (Starly). Male. Hasty natured, likes to thrash about. 

Bebe (Shinx). Female. Jolly natured, likes to run.

Roy (Ponyta). Male. Hardy natured, somewhat stubborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four Pokemon in Lucas' team already! I realize that may be going a bit fast, but I should point out that the next Pokemon in Lucas' team won't be introduced for a long while. Not until after a few more badges into the story. Hopefully that balances out how quickly Lucas' team seems to be forming. It's gonna be these four for a while.


End file.
